


The Night After

by Kate_MacKay



Category: Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 22:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16273823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate_MacKay/pseuds/Kate_MacKay
Summary: Owen and Claire the night after the events of Jurassic World





	The Night After

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this and typed it up three years ago. A few days ago I was going through some of the files on my computer of short stories and novels I've written, saw this one, and wondered why I never bothered to post it. I guess better late than never, so here it is.

The room was everything expected in a luxury resort. Spacious, tastefully decorated in a tropical motif, a king-sized bed, a sitting area with a plush sofa, and a private balcony overlooking a white sand beach. It was the sort of place Owen could never afford. Not as a raptor researcher, even with the hazard pay, and definitely not as a naval officer. Cost aside, he wondered how Claire had managed to find a vacancy in a hotel on the mainland with all the people who had evacuated the park suddenly flooding the town.

Curious, he asked, “How did you even get this room?”

“Mr. Masrani ordered me to take a vacation. I felt a little guilty about leaving my nephews with Zara and I thought they might like a few days at the beach so I booked this before coming to see you about the _Indominus_. But then…”

Owen nodded. Then everything happened.

Claire continued, “It was supposed to be a two-bedroom suite, but I thought a family could use that, so I had them change it to this at check-in. I didn’t think you would mind.”

“I don’t,” Owen replied, too weary to respond with one of his typical flirtatious comments. He hadn’t slept in two days other than a short combat nap on the ferry to the mainland. He looked longingly at the big bed, but didn’t really want to sit down, worried he wouldn’t be able to stand back up. He was operating on the last vestiges of adrenaline and even that was fading fast. “I hope the kids’ll be OK.”

“I hope Karen lets me see them again. I did almost get them eaten by a dinosaur.”

Owen went to Claire. Placing his hands gently on her shoulders, he met her tired blue eyes and said, “No, you kept them alive, all while wearing those ridiculous shoes.”

That resulted in a slight smile. “In my defense, when I dressed for the day, running through the jungle with you wasn’t on the agenda, Mr. Grady.”

“Owen… and I’m pretty sure you planned on never seeing me again.”

“I’m glad not all my plans work out… Owen.”

It was his turn to smile. “Why don’t you shower and clean up,” he suggested. “I’ll go to one of those shops here in the resort and get us some clean clothes to wear and sleep in.”

“You don’t have to. I can…”

“Claire,” he interrupted, “let me do this. You’re dead on your feet. And how are you planning to pay for things?”

The harsh reality of the situation slammed into her. Not only were her purse and phone gone, her life was, too. Claire couldn’t stop the tears that spilled from her eyes. After being strong and fearless through everything, all the stress finally caught up to her and she collapsed into Owen’s arms. He was big and strong and seemingly invulnerable. It felt good to be supported and protected, even if only for a moment.

Owen said nothing. He wasn’t the sort to offer meaningless assurances that everything would be fine. Both he and Claire knew there would be many difficulties ahead. But he would old her and offer what little comfort he could for as long as she wanted it.

Claire wasn’t sure how long they stood together like that. She eventually became aware of the smell of diesel fuel, sweat, and who knew what else and she suddenly desperately wanted a shower.

Feeling the change in Claire, Owen tipped her chin up with a finger. He kissed her lightly, so different from the desperate kiss in the midst of the pterosaur attack. For the first time, Claire felt his more gentle and tender emotions.

“Take a nice hot shower and relax. You deserve it.” Owen said when they finally broke apart. “I’ll go get some things we need.”

 

* * *

 

Buying underwear for a woman was daunting. Buying it for Claire was worse. Was she the sort that liked frills and lace or did she prefer utilitarian cotton? But asking her to go commando was out of the question. And it wasn’t like the resort boutique had a large selection. Owen settled for the most basic cotton underwear and prayed he guessed her size correctly. If not, he was definitely sleeping on the sofa tonight. He might be anyway. At this point, he wasn’t really sure what their relationship was or if Claire would be comfortable sharing a bed with him, even if it was king-sized and he was too tired to do anything but sleep.

Looking around, Owen realized he needed to buy more than a few clothes. Claire needed shoes other than those heels. They both needed basic things like toothbrushes. He finally left the small shop with four bags filled with items he bought at exorbitant resort prices.

 

* * *

 

When Owen returned to the room, Claire was sitting on the bed wrapped in a fluffy white resort bathrobe. Her dirty clothes and shoes were tossed in a corner. He handed her the bags. She looked inside and flashed him a grateful look.

“Did you use up all the hot water?” he asked.

Claire’s expression briefly showed indignation until she noticed the slight, teasing curve to Owen’s lips. His smile broadened as he wondered if she knew just how attractive she was, even now without makeup and her hair with its natural curl.

“I’m going to clean up,” Owen said, grabbing some clean boxer briefs from a bag and disappearing into the bathroom.

Claire searched through the bags. She was surprised at how thorough and thoughtful Owen had been with his purchases. She found some men’s boxers and a t-shirt that would work well as pyjamas. She was looking through the rest of the things when she heard a soft grunt of pain from the bathroom.

“Owen?”

There was no reply.

Claire went to the bathroom door and knocked. “Owen? Are you OK?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

She didn’t believe him. His voice sounded slightly off. She turned the knob, thankful he hadn’t locked it, and pushed open the door. Claire gasped when she saw Owen. He was trying to get his shirt off, but it was stuck to bloody claw wounds on his shoulders that had been hidden by his vest.

“I didn’t say come in!” Owen exclaimed with a touch of annoyance. His expression quickly changed as his eyes settled on her and he murmured, “You’re beautiful.” He had never dreamed how alluring she would look wearing men’s boxers and a t-shirt a size too big.

Claire ignored him. “Did the dimorphodon do that?”

Owen sighed. “Yeah. My vest protected me some, but a few of the claws slipped under it and… well… this.”

“That was hours ago! Why didn’t you say something?”

“It’s not that bad,” he replied dismissively. “And it’s not like the dinosaurs would take a timeout for someone to doctor me.”

“Let me help you.”

Owen didn’t argue. He knew by Claire’s tone of voice she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “My shirt’s stuck. Pull it off. Just make it quick,” he ordered gruffly.

Claire looked distressed. “It will start bleeding again.”

“Yes.”

“And it will hurt.”

“Quit stalling, Claire.” Owen met her eyes. He had always been honest with her. “Yes, it will hurt and it’s going to bleed. There’s no way around that if I want this shirt off.”

He recognised Claire’s tough and determined face as soon as she put it on. It was an expression she wore like armour. “OK, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Claire pulled the shirt from the scabs quickly. Owen grunted and his muscles tensed as the dried blood tore free. He let his tattered shirt drop to the floor. Claire’s eyes widened as a few trails of crimson ran down his broad back.

“These are deep. They should be cleaned or they could get infected.”

“What about yours?” Owen asked, turning to face her and gripping her arm gently. He moved her arm slightly to reveal a scrape across her elbow.

Claire raised an incredulous eyebrow. “A skinned elbow, scraped knee, and a few blisters on my feet are not the same. Now shower. When you’re done, I’ll take care of those.”

She had definitely shifted to boss mode and Owen was too tired to argue.

 

* * *

 

The hot water and soap hurt when it hit the claw marks on Owen’s shoulders. He groaned with the pain, but also the pleasure of finally washing away all the sweat and grime and diesel fuel that seemed to have soaked deep into his skin. He scrubbed his body twice before finally stepping out of the shower. He hesitated using one of the bright white towels, but didn’t have any other option to dry off. When he finished and dropped it to the floor, he frowned at the fresh bloodstains. Maybe the dimorphodon had cut him deeper than he had thought. He pulled on the clean boxer briefs and left the bathroom in a swirl of steam.

“Owen…” Claire breathed when he entered the room. She was a woman, after all, and was not immune to his athletic, muscular form. But she was also alarmed by the dark bruises she now saw with the dust and blood washed away. She also noticed a knot of scar tissue on his left shoulder and was curious what could have caused it. It didn’t look like anything from an animal.

Owen’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Claire, who sat on the bed with an assortment of first aid supplies. “Where did you get all that?”

“One of the stores downstairs. I went while you were in the shower.”

“How did you pay for it?” he asked, suspicion in his eyes.

“You left your wallet in your pants,” Claire replied with a guilty smile.

Owen shook his head. “You never cease to amaze me, Claire.”

Her smile broadened with satisfaction. “Good. Now sit down.”

He returned the smile despite the fact he was exhausted and adrenaline was no longer masking his pain. Claire loved to take charge. It was both endearing and annoying. Sitting obediently on the bed, he asked, “What about yours?”

“Already done. I told you it was only some scrapes and blisters.” She knelt on the bed behind him with a bottle of peroxide and some cotton balls.

Owen flinched at her first gentle touch and she instantly stopped. He said, “Don’t be scared to hurt me. Animal scratches are notorious for causing infections, so you really need to make sure they’re clean.”

Claire frowned. She had offered, actually practically ordered him to accept her help, but as she looked at his torn flesh, she realized this was going to be much more difficult than she thought. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had run the most complex theme park in the world, she had outrun a t-rex in a business suit and heels… She could do some basic first aid.

Owen closed his eyes as Claire resumed cleaning the scratches. He tried to focus on her gentle touch rather than the pain of his wounds. She saw the muscles in his jaw tense as he gritted his teeth. She tried not to think how much it hurt him as she watched the peroxide bubble, hoping it would keep any infection away.

When she was finished cleaning the scratches, Claire said, “These are deep. You should have stitches.”

Owen let out a breath that sounded a little like a laugh. “Please tell me you’re not going to do that.”

“Stitch you?” Claire was incredulous. “Absolutely not! I’ll try some of these steri-strip things I bought and hope they work.” She did her best to close the wounds and finished by taping gauze over them. “All done with that. What about this?” She gently prodded one of the dark bruises on his torso.

“Ow!” He batted her hand away.

“Is anything broken?”

“No.”

“How did they happen?”

“I got thrown by the explosion that killed Charlie. Probably then.”

“I’m sorry. I know the raptors meant a lot to you.” Claire’s sympathetic expression surprised Owen.

“Yeah, they did. But I’ve lost a lot these past few years. Nothing new.”

Claire’s eyes rifted to the prominent scar on his shoulder. “Owen?”

“Leave it,” he growled gruffly. Softening his voice, he said, “For now. I’ll tell you when I’m ready. I promise.”

She met his green eyes and instinctively knew that when Owen promised something, he meant it. She nodded, respecting his boundaries. After a long moment of comfortable silence between them, Claire said, “Thank you, Owen.”

“For what?”

“You were willing to help me.”

Owen flashed a small smile. “You’re the one who saved the day, _and_ my life. In heels. So thank _you_. For that and fixing me up.”

Claire paused before softly admitting, “I was wrong.”

“About what?”

“The _Indominus_ … and you.”

Owen touched her cheek before leaning in for a kiss. Their lips met and they melted together, wordlessly offering each other tender emotions and promises.

When they finally broke apart, Owen smiled softly at Claire before standing up and stepping away from the bed.

“Where are you going?”

He gestured towards the sofa. “Sleep? I mean, kissing you is really nice and I wouldn’t mind doing it a whole lot more, but it’s been a Hell of a day. Sleep would be good.”

The statement surprised Claire. Owen always seemed so cocky, she had not expected a more considerate and chivalrous side to him. She set the first aid supplies on a bedside table. “Owen, sleep with me.” Her cheeks flushed with attractive colour. “You know what I mean.”

Owen grinned. “If I wasn’t so exhausted, I’d tease you for that comment.”

She was certain he would anyway.

He stretched out in the large bed, letting out a soft groan at all the aches and pains the movement elicited. His mind raced with concerns. What would become of Masrani Corporation? Where would he find a new job? Could he and Claire really make this relationship work?

Claire curled against him, softly humming contentedly. She draped a hand across his chest, enjoying the comforting feel of his strength. Owen pulled Claire closer and his worries faded. Together, in each other’s arms, they found comfort and the promise of a future.

 

~The End~


End file.
